The former Acting Deputy Official Receiver Viliame Katia, who was sentenced to serve 23 years in prison with a non-parole of 22 years, was told today by the Supreme Court that only the grounds of appeal that were heard in the Court of Appeal will stand in the Supreme Court.
Katia was convicted in 2018 of three counts of abuse of office for gain, four counts of forgery, one count of embezzlement, one count of giving false information to a public servant, one count of unauthorized modification of data and one count of obtaining financial advantage.
The total amount involved was $4.1 million.
He was produced in front of Acting Chief Justice Salesi Temo today.
The FICAC Lawyer had told the Court that Katia was coming to the Supreme Court with a new ground of appeal and that he had only served the appeal notice yesterday.
Justice Temo told Katia that the law is clear cut and only what the Court of Appeal listened to during the appeal period is what the Supreme Court is entitled to listen to.
He says he knows the kind of games petitioners and responders play at the Court of Appeal, and this will not be the last.
Justice Temo says when petitioners change their grounds of appeal, the Supreme Court does not have the jurisdiction to hear the case.
He also told Katia if he didn’t use the grounds from the Court of Appeal, then the doors would shut in his face. Justice Temo has also given time to Katia to consider appealing on the grounds covered in the Court of Appeal, and they will hear his case next Friday.
